Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:9 — some unexplained power of God and refusing to allow any efficacy from the eating of some physical tree. All of that may be partially true, but the appearance of the tree of life in Revelation 21—22, and the statement of God Himself in Genesis 3:22 compel us to see something more than mere symbolism. All of the machinery for immortality is in man's body already. The tree of life, whatever it was, had the power to activate and continue life forever. We are not embarrassed by our ignorance of

Hosea 1:2 — viewpoint is that Gomer was at first innocent. Her representation of Israel in the analogy would appear to demand this, for Israel "fell away" from God; they were not apostates already, a truth cited by Hosea himself in Hosea 9:10; Hosea 11:1; and Hosea 13:1. We believe, therefore, with Polkinghorne that, "At the time of the wedding, Gomer was a virgin but later proved unfaithful."G. J. Polkinghorne, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 928. This, of course,

Amos 9:1 — chief temple of Northern Israel was located at Bethel;"W. R. Harper, Amos and Hosea (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910), p. 188. "Jacob saw the Lord at Bethel;"Ralph L. Smith, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 135. "there is a close connection with the preceding chapter 8, (Amos 8:14) which mentions Bethel in the last verse,"Holmann, as quoted by C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 320. etc.; but none

Nahum 1:2 — fierce anger to lay the land desolate. And he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it… Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall move out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger" (Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 13:13). B.    Hosea has been hailed as the greatest preacher of God's love in the Old Testament, but read Hosea 9 for as terrible a denunciation as any to be found in the Bible. C.    Paul's love knew

Nahum 2:3 — brilliant a description of the siege and fall of a city as any ever written. No, it exceeds all others. "No other, of all the prophets, except Isaiah, can be said even to equal Nahum in boldness, ardor, and sublimity."George I. Robinson, op. cit., p. 113. The words of this description tumble forth like hot rocks from a volcano. In one clause, the besiegers are in focus; and in the next, the besieged are seen. The doomed city is referred to as "she," "they" and "he"; substantives appear without verbs;

Matthew 16:18 — Lord's carrying out the noble design announced on that occasion. (2) Others think they refer to the various sins by which men go to their spiritual doom. Thus, Origen made the gates of Hades to be such things as fornication, blasphemy, and other sins. (3) Another thinks they refer to Satanic opposition to the church throughout history, and that they contain a prophecy that Christ will triumph, not Satan. The meaning and import of the passage are so profound that there is more than enough room for all

Matthew 21:19 — imputing caprice, peevishness, spite, and unreasonableness to Christ. We agree with Trench who said, "Of such men, they are the true Pharisees of history.Richard Trench, Notes on the Parables (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1953), p. 474. Nevertheless, we note some of their objections: (1) It is affirmed that Christ had no right to expect fruit of that tree because "it was not the time of figs" (Mark 11:13). This objection disappears in the light of the fact that,

Matthew 21:28-30 — the immediate and primary application of it was made by Christ himself who referred it to the publicans and harlots on one hand and the Pharisees on the other. There are two destinies revealed for the two classes of men, heaven and hell (Matthew 25:34; Matthew 25:41); and the two classes are set forth under a number of figures in the New Testament, such as: the wheat and the chaff (Matthew 3:12), the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:25), the rejects and keepers (Matthew 13:48-49), the sheep and the

Luke 11:50-51 — conviction here is that there are insurmountable difficulties in such a view: (1) It is based on the conceit that Matthew's identification of the Zachariah mentioned here is an error. Matthew called him "Zachariah the son of Barachiah" (Matthew 23:35); and, although it is fully possible that Jehoida and Barachiah are the same person (many Hebrews had more than one name), yet there is no proof of it. (2) Furthermore, the circumstance of this murder's having taken place between the altar and the

Luke 18:15-17 — not; for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. For verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. BRINGING CHILDREN TO JESUS This saying was commented upon under Matthew 19:13 and under Mark 10:13; and "Luke differs from Matthew only in the word which he uses for children."Charles L. Childers, op. cit., p. 579. Luke's word is "babes." See my Commentary on Matthew, my Commentary on Mark, (en loco). Summers

Romans 3:5-6 — appreciative of God's grace and mercy than those persons who have lived conventionally respectable lives. That might be one of the underlying reasons why the publicans and harlots of Jesus' day entered the kingdom of God before the Pharisees (Matthew 21:31). What are some of the ways God overrules sin for the good of his children? Sin increases man's appreciation for the goodness and holiness of God. People's lives are disciplined through the sorrows suffered because of sin. Through pitiful experience,

Romans 4:23-25 — faith which was manifested in the offering of Isaac; Christians believe in the resurrection of the dead: (1) that God raised Christ from the dead; (2) that all shall at last be raised from the dead by Christ (John 5:28-29), and, in the spiritual sense; (3) that all who hear Christ's voice and obey him shall be raised from the deadness of trespasses and sins (John 5:25). In Romans 4:17 Paul specifically mentioned, "God, who giveth life to the dead," as a conspicuous aspect of Abraham's faith.

Galatians 6:2 — hailed and saluted as the law of Christ (little "l")! Note what is alleged: The meaning is that by showing sympathy to others … the Christian will best fulfill that "new commandment" … "the law of love" (John 13:34, 1 John 3:23). William Sanday, Ellicott's Commentary on the Holy Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 460. In such a statement Christ is not being set up over against Moses as a new lawgiver! H. N. Ridderbos, op. cit.,

Hebrews 10:5-7 — are a part of all that David the type says for the antitype, the Messiah. The lines are the voice of the Messiah himself speaking to God hundreds of years before this Messiah "appeared" (26) and did God's will. R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 331. Also, from the comment of Westcott, "The words, it will be observed, assume the pre-existence of Christ." Brooke Foss Westcott, op. cit., p. 309. The well known problem of this place is that the author of Hebrews apparently quoted from

Hebrews 13:17 — and not with grief. for this were unprofitable for you. The divine injunction to obey persons in authority covers obedience to civil powers; and even the policeman is hailed in the scripture as "a minister of God to thee for good" (Romans 13:4); but the obedience required in this verse is submission to the elders of the church. Such men are known in the New Testament by at least six, possibly seven, titles. The words "bishop" [Greek: episkopos] translated "overseer,"

Hebrews 2:4 — impressive and convincing wonders ever to appear upon the earth. Their utility in achieving the desired result is apparent in the testimony of Nicodemus who admitted that "No one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). Christ established the principle that the ability to perform a miracle resides in any person who can forgive sins, saying, "Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed and walk?"

1 John 5:16 — here of such great efficacy in the prayers of Christians for one another. For them that sin not unto death … There are a number of New Testament passages that deal with the "sin unto death," namely, the passage here, 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 5:6; Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-27; 2 Peter 2:20-21, and Mark 3:29 with parallel in Matthew. For a complete discussion of this question see in my Commentary on Mark, pp. 65-67, and, in my Commentary on Matthew, pp.

Revelation 11 overview — The first section of this chapter (Revelation 11:1-13) concludes the sixth trumpet with its vision of the fortunes of the church right up to the end and through the final judgment itself. The seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:14-19) describes the eternal state but gives no details concerning events in it.

Revelation 16:19 — the first of three very important observations revealed in this verse, and they should not be confused. 1.    The great city divided into three parts is clearly connected with the "Jerusalem-Sodom-Egypt" of Revelation 11:13, where was prophesied the collapse of the urban world. Many have missed this. Moffatt's view that the great earthquake "shatters Jerusalem into three parts and utterly destroys pagan cities" James Moffatt, op. cit., p. 449. is undoubtedly

Revelation 20:4 — that the prerogative of judging other people was to be exercised by them. The New Testament makes it absolutely clear that that prerogative belongs to the Son of God alone (John 5:27). Another view is advocated by some who appeal to 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 for support; but that passage also is devoid of any thought that judgment will ever be the prerogative of Christians. Judgment belongs to the Son of God alone. For further discussion of Christians "judging," see in my Commentary on 1 and 2